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Chris Jericho
Jericho alternated between WCW and a number of Japanese tours before he debuted in the World Wrestling Federation. In the weeks before Jericho's debut, a clock labeled "countdown to the new millennium" appeared on WWF programming. On the home video, Break the Walls Down, Jericho states he was inspired to do this as his entrance when he saw a similar clock in a post office. Vince McMahon gave him the green light to use it as his intro to the WWF. The clock finally ran down on August 9, 1999 in Chicago, Illinois while The Rock was in the ring doing a promo. Jericho entered the arena and proclaimed himself "Y2J" (a play on the Y2K bug). The Rock proceeded to verbally mock him for his interruption. Jericho feuded with Chyna for the Intercontinental Championship. After losing to Chyna at the Survivor Series 1999, Jericho won his first Intercontinental title at Armageddon. This feud with Chyna lasted for many months. It included a controversial decision during a rematch in which two separate referees declared each one of them the winner of a match for the title. As a result, they became co-owners of the title until Jericho attained sole ownership at the Royal Rumble. Jericho's subsequent alliance with Chyna, coupled with growing enthusiasm for his ring work and mic skills, effectively turned him into a face. Shortly thereafter, he began a feud with Kurt Angle, and lost the title to Angle at No Way Out. On April 2, Jericho competed in a Triple Threat match against Chris Benoit and Angle at WrestleMania 2000. At the time, Angle held both the WWE European Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship. According to the match stipulations, the first man to score a pinfall or submission would win the Intercontinental Championship, and the second man to score a pinfall or submission would win the European Championship. Benoit pinned Jericho to win the Intercontinental Championship, and Jericho then pinned Benoit to win the European Championship. Jericho lost the title the next day to Eddie Guerrero on Raw after Chyna, claiming she could not resist Guerrero's Latino Heat, turned heel to side with him. On the April 17 edition of Raw, Jericho upset Triple H in a WWF Championship match. Referee Earl Hebner made a fast count when Jericho pinned Triple H, causing Jericho to win the title. After previous weeks of assault on referee Earl Hebner, Triple H told him that if Hebner reversed the decision, he would never touch Hebner while he was under contract. Hebner reversed the decision, and Triple H fired Hebner and assaulted him. Despite Jericho's pinfall win over Triple H, WWE does not recognize Jericho's reign as champion. After the controversial decision, Jericho feuded with Chris Benoit. On the May 4 edition of SmackDown!, Jericho defeated Benoit to become Intercontinental Champion for the third time, but lost the title to Benoit four days later on Raw. Jericho's popularity skyrocketed when he feuded with Triple H and his wife (just married in the storyline at the time) Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. Fans took particular delight in his promos toward Stephanie in which he showered her with insults, such as calling her a "filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, bottom-feeding, trash-bag ho" and throwing a pie in her face. He got the best of Triple H on more than one occasion, even helping the Brooklyn Brawler, a renowned jobber, gain an upset victory over the then four-time WWF Champion. Their feud climaxed at Fully Loaded, when they competed in a Last Man Standing match. Jericho lost the match to Triple H only by one second, despite the repeated assistance Stephanie provided Triple H in the match, especially in its final moments. At the 2001 Royal Rumble, Jericho defeated Chris Benoit in a Ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship for the fourth time.31 At WrestleMania X-Seven, he successfully defended his title in a match against William Regal,32 only to lose it four days later to Triple H.At Judgment Day, Jericho and Benoit won a "Tag Team Turmoil" match 33 and earned a shot at Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for their WWF Tag Team Championship on Raw the next night. Benoit and Jericho won the match, in which Triple H legitimately tore his quadriceps and spent the rest of the year injured, and Jericho became WWF Tag Team Champion for the first time.1 The team defended their title in the first Fatal Four-Way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match where Benoit sustained a year-long injury doing a diving headbutt through a table. Though Benoit was carried out on a stretcher, he returned to the match to climb the ladder and retain the championship. The duo lost the titles one month later to the Dudley Boyz on June 19, 2001.34In the following months, Jericho became a major force in The Invasion storyline in which WCW and ECW joined forces to overtake the WWF. Jericho remained on the side of the WWF despite previously competing in WCW and ECW and retained his status as a face. However, signs of a heel turn slowly became obvious as Jericho began to show jealousy toward fellow WWF member The Rock. The Rock repeatedly reminded Jericho that Jericho had never won "the big one" (a world championship) and wrote Jericho off as a "comedy act." Jericho faced The Rock in a match at No Mercy for the WCW Championship after Jericho defeated Rob Van Dam in a number one contenders match. Jericho won the WCW Championship when he pinned The Rock after debuting a new finisher, the Breakdown.35 One night later, the two put their differences aside and won the WWF Tag Team titles from the Dudley Boyz.34 After they lost the titles to Test and Booker T,34 they continued their feud. On the November 5 edition of Raw, The Rock defeated Jericho to regain the WCW Championship with a surprise roll up. Following the match, Jericho savagely attacked The Rock with a steel chair, thus marking a full-fledged heel turn that lasted for two years. At the Survivor Series, Jericho would almost cost The Rock, and the WWF, victory in their elimination matchup by attacking The Rock again.36 On December 9, at Vengeance, Chris Jericho defeated both The Rock for the WCW Championship (unbranded and only referred to as the World Championship following Survivor Series) and Stone Cold Steve Austin for his WWF Championship on the same night to become the first wrestler to hold both championships at the same time, which made him the first WWF Undisputed Champion.137 He fought both of the men he defeated at Vengeance on separate occasions and retained his title at the next two pay-per-views, Royal Rumble (vs. The Rock)38 and No Way Out (vs. Stone Cold).39Jericho lost the title to Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania X8.1 After his title loss, Jericho became a member of the SmackDown! roster and continued his feud with Triple H. He helped cost Triple H his newly won Undisputed Championship at Backlash.40 The rivalry culminated at Judgment Day when Triple H defeated Jericho in a Hell in a Cell match.41 Jericho then started a short feud with Edge.42 Shortly thereafter, Jericho was drafted back to Raw, where he won the Intercontinental Championship from Rob Van Dam and teamed with Christian to win the tag team titles from The Hurricane and Kane on October 14, 2002.4344 On January 13, 2003, Jericho won an over-the-top-rope challenge against Kane, RVD, and Batista to select his entry number for the Royal Rumble match. He chose number two in order to start the match with Shawn Michaels, who had challenged Jericho to prove his claims that he was better than Michaels. After Michaels' entrance, Jericho entered as the second participant. Christian, in Jericho's attire, appeared while the real Jericho attacked Shawn from behind. He eliminated Michaels shortly afterwards, but Michaels got his revenge later in the match by causing Test to eliminate Jericho. Jericho simultaneously feuded with Test, Michaels, and Jeff Hardy. Jericho and Michaels fought again at WrestleMania XIX. In the end, Michaels managed to get a roll-up and score the victory. Jericho, however, hit Michaels with a low blow after the match following an embrace. After this, Jericho entered a rivalry with Goldberg, which was fueled by Goldberg's refusal to fight Jericho in WCW. During this period Jericho became involved in a legitimate backstage feud with Goldberg over issues stemming from Goldberg's refusal to work with Jericho in WCW. An altercation arose when Goldberg approached Jericho backstage and grabbed him by the throat. Jericho easily fought off Goldberg. He lost to Goldberg at Bad Blood. Later in 2003, Jericho began a romance with Trish Stratus while his tag team partner Christian began one with Lita. This, however, turned out to be a bet over who could sleep with their respective paramour first, with a Canadian Dollar at stake. Stratus overheard this and ended her relationship with Jericho, who tried to make it up to her by saving her from Kane. Stratus agreed that the two of them could just be "friends". After Christian put Stratus in the Walls of Jericho while competing against her in a match, Jericho sought revenge on Christian, which led to a match at WrestleMania XX. Christian defeated Jericho after Stratus ran down and "inadvertently" struck Jericho (thinking it was Christian) and Christian got the roll-up. After the match, Stratus turned on Jericho and revealed that she and Christian were a couple. This led to a handicap match at Backlash that Jericho won. Jericho won his seventh Intercontinental Championship at that year's Unforgiven in a ladder match against Christian. The title had been stripped from an injured Edge. Jericho's seventh reign was short lived, as he lost it at Taboo Tuesday to Shelton Benjamin, who the fans voted to be his opponent. Jericho teamed up with Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, and Maven to take on Triple H, Batista, Edge, and Snitsky at Survivor Series. The match's stipulation stated that each member of the winning team would become the General Manager of Raw throughout the next four weeks. Jericho's team was victorious, so they took turns as General Manager. During Jericho's turn as General Manager, he stripped Triple H of his World Heavyweight Championship because a Triple Threat match for the title a week earlier ended in a draw. At New Year's Revolution, Jericho competed in the Elimination Chamber against Triple H, Chris Benoit, Batista, Randy Orton, and Edge for the vacated World Heavyweight Championship. Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee. Jericho began the match with Benoit but Batista ultimately eliminated Jericho. At WrestleMania 21, Jericho participated in the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match. Jericho suggested the match concept, and he competed in the match against Benjamin, Chris Benoit, Kane, Christian, and Edge. Jericho lost the match when Edge claimed the briefcase. At Backlash, Chris Jericho yet again challenged Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship, but lost the match. On June 12, 2005 Jericho wrestled in the first match of the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view event against Lance Storm. Jericho used his 'Lionheart' gimmick, instead of his more well known 'Y2J' gimmick. Jericho lost after Jason and Justin Credible hit him in the head with a Singapore Cane, which allowed Storm to pin Jericho. Later that June, Jericho became a heel for the third time in the WWE by turning on WWE Champion John Cena. Jericho lost a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Vengeance which also involved Christian and Cena. The feud continued throughout the summer and Jericho lost to Cena in a championship match at SummerSlam. The next night on Raw, Jericho faced Cena in a rematch, this time in a "You're fired" match. Cena won again, and Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff kayfabe fired a pleading Jericho, who was carried out of the arena by security. WWE promoted Jericho's return since September 24, 2007 with a viral marketing campaign using a series of 15-second cryptic binary code videos, similar to the matrix digital rain featured in The Matrix series. The videos contained hidden messages and biblical links related to Jericho. The phrases "Save Us" and "2nd Coming" were most prominent in the videos. The campaign spread throughout the internet as numerous websites featured hidden messages and biblical links hinting at Jericho's return. Jericho made his return to WWE television on the November 19, 2007 edition of Raw when he interrupted Randy Orton during Orton's orchestrated "passing of the torch" ceremony. Jericho revealed his intentions to reclaim the WWE Championship in order to "save" WWE fans from Orton. Jericho was now clean-shaven with a new short haircut, and he used his Y2J gimmick thus becoming a face once again. On the November 26 edition of Raw, Jericho defeated Santino Marella and debuted a new finishing maneuver called the Codebreaker, to defeat Santino Marella. At Armageddon, he competed in a WWE title match against Randy Orton. Jericho defeated Orton by disqualification when John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) interfered in the match, but Orton retained the title. He began a feud with JBL and met him at the Royal Rumble. Jericho was disqualified after hitting JBL with a steel chair. At No Way Out, Jericho competed in his fourth Elimination Chamber match alongside Triple H, Shawn Michaels, JBL, Umaga, and Jeff Hardy. He was the third man eliminated when Hardy pinned him following Michaels' Sweet Chin Music. On the March 10 edition of Raw, Jericho captured the Intercontinental Championship for a record eighth time when he defeated Jeff Hardy. On the June 9 edition of Raw, Jericho turned heel once again by attacking Shawn Michaels during his talk show segment The Highlight Reel. At Night of Champions, he lost the Intercontinental title to Kofi Kingston after a successful distraction by Shawn Michaels. He hosted the final version of The Highlight Reel on the July 28 edition of Raw, and after that developed a suit-wearing "self-righteous honest man" gimmick inspired by Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from the film No Country for Old Men. In doing so, Jericho purposely shed many of the trademarks associated with the "Y2J" character, taking "every characteristic that made him popular, and striping those traits away from himself." Paul Heyman was enthusiastic about the transformation, claiming "all that's left is an articulate villain who delivers his lines with little emotion but lots of conviction. Jericho's contempt for all those who dare to oppose him is a 180 degree turn from the fun-loving Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla whose fan base had few peers in terms of numbers and volume." At Unforgiven, Jericho lost an Unsanctioned match to Michaels. In the main event, Jericho entered the Championship Scramble as a replacement for the defending champion CM Punk and subsequently won the World Heavyweight Championship. On the September 22 edition of Raw he successfully retained his title in a Steel Cage match against CM Punk. Jericho then successfully defended his title against Shawn Michaels at No Mercy in a ladder match. At Cyber Sunday, Jericho lost the title to Batista in a match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. Eight days later, on a three hour special episode of Raw, Jericho defeated Batista to win back the title in a steel cage match. This reign would last until the 2008 Survivor Series, where Jericho lost to the returning John Cena. On the December 8 edition of Raw, he won a Slammy Award for the Superstar of the Year. On the January 12, 2009 episode of Raw, WWE Executive Vice President Stephanie McMahon fired (kayfabe) Jericho. The next week, Stephanie McMahon rehired Jericho after he made a forced apology to her and the fans. One week later, Jericho qualified for the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out when he defeated CM Punk. At the pay-per-view, he started the match with Rey Mysterio and survived to the final three. He eliminated Mike Knox and helped eliminate Kane and the champion John Cena. Mysterio pinned Jericho after reversing the Walls of Jericho. Jericho started a feud with Mickey Rourke, star of the movie The Wrestler,''and with all WWE Hall of Famers. He challenged and attacked Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky Steamboat. Jericho won an elimination match at WrestleMania XXV against Snuka, Steamboat, and Piper. Jericho then fought Ric Flair and finished the fight with a Codebreaker. Jericho then challenged Mickey Rourke, who was at ringside for the event. Rourke kayfabe knocked Jericho out after a left hook to the jaw. On the April 13 episode of ''Raw, Jericho was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 WWE Draft. Ricky Steamboat interrupted Jericho's Raw farewell address, which led to the two facing off at Backlash where Jericho came out victorious. In his SmackDown re-debut, Jericho participated in a fatal-four-way elimination match against Kane, Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio executed a 619 on Jericho and then attempted to pin him with a seated senton. Jericho retaliated by throwing a chair at Mysterio and was disqualified. This sparked a feud between the two. Mysterio pinned Jericho after a 619 at Judgment Day to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Jericho defeated and unmasked Mysterio in a No Holds Barred Match at Extreme Rules to win his ninth Intercontinental Championship. At The Bash Jericho lost the Intercontinental title to Mysterio. Later in the pay-per-view, Jericho and his partner Edge won the Unified Tag Team Championship. Shortly thereafter, Edge suffered an injury, and Jericho announced that he had a clause in his contract stating that should Edge become injured during their title reign, Jericho would be allowed to select a new partner. At Night of Champions, he revealed The Big Show as his partner and they defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to retain the championship. Category:WWE